29 is Prime. It’s Not Too Late to Attack the World.
Last year I wrote an article called The Uncomfortable Reality of Turning 28.
Although fairly positive, there was a bit of a dismal tone to the realities of getting older.
The challenges, the responsibilities, the loss of youth.
Because of that, you might think turning 29 would be worse…but it’s really not.
You see for me, turning 28 meant coming to terms with the mental weight of turning 30, only two years early.
But since I’ve already contemplated on that last year, turning 29 has become less scary.
Actually, I’m much more optimistic about the potential of my future since I’ve realized: things are just getting started.
A big problem people tend to have is the weight we place on time.
We have preconceptions about what the “right age” or “right time” is to do something, to get started, to chase your dreams, to attack the world.
And when you’re older, you feel less and less incentivized to do that thing - because you’ve already missed your chance.
This becomes a negative self-reinforcing loop of never doing anything because it’s always “too late”.
But I’ve got bad news for you: you’re not getting any younger.
So if you always claim or think you’re “too old” then you’ll continually miss opportunity after opportunity.
You see, the right age or time to do something doesn’t exist - its a figment of our imagination, created or crafted by our views of the world and how we believe things work.
And it’s best we break this cycle and thought process early.
29 isn’t old.
29 is prime.
It’s not too late to attack the world.
If you have misgivings or aren’t satisfied with your current life, now is the time to make the changes.
Let’s get started.
We’re Always Late
A cruel reality we must accept if we want to live a full life is:
We’re always late.
Not sometimes - always.
Because no matter how early we start, there’s always someone who’s started before us.
And no matter how early we are, we could have always been earlier.
It’s like comparing success - no matter how successful we become, there’s always someone more successful.
It’s an endless loop with no way to win.
Let me ask you a question:
When would it have not been “too late”?
Was it when you were in high school and just started getting taller?
Was it when you were in elementary school and were naively optimistic about the world?
Or was it in your mother’s womb before you had your first breath?
When would have been the right time to start for it to not have been “too late”?
Do you see the dilemma?
There is no perfect or right time.
Obviously there were better times than now, but there were better times than that too…!
If we continue to use the phrase “it’s too late”, it becomes an infinite regress of excuse and inaction.
That’s why they say:
The best time to start was yesterday, the second best time to start is today.
At the end of the day, we’re always late.
We could have always been earlier and there was always a better time.
But just because we could have boarded the train earlier, doesn’t mean the train has left yet.
And while you’re sitting here mulling about “it being too late”, you could be getting on!
Once you understand this, you can stop making the excuse “it’s too late”, and start starting.
Let’s learn to break the cycle of “late”.
“Late” is a concept our brains have invented to not try.
But for the reasons we mentioned earlier, it can lead us to endless loops of inaction.
So if we want to stop being “late” we must exit the game in the first place.
It’s not about being late and it’s not about being early.
It’s what do you want to do and are you going to do it?
Do you want to take that solo trip to a different country you’ve always wanted to?
Do you want to start a new creative hobby?
Do you want to quit your job of 10 years and try something new?
What would you actually do if “being late” didn’t exist?
Now obviously certain things like trying to become a professional basketball player at the age of 60 might be “too late”.
But the funny thing is, there was a case where a 76 year old by the name of Don Weyberg, tried out for the Santa Cruz Warriors (G-League team) in 2012, and became a local legend because of it.
Technically he was “too late”, but he still went for it anyways and probably didn’t regret doing so.
Furthermore, there are plenty of adult or senior leagues that you can participate in which can bring value to your life even if they’re not “professional”.
So even if it’s technically too late, there are options for you.
The point is:
The moment we realize we’re always late is the moment we realize that “being too late” doesn’t matter.
Then we can exit the game and finally start doing the things we want to do.
So if you think 29 is late, just wait until you’re 76.
Along the Right Path
In life we get fixated on playing “the perfect game”.
Having a great high paying career, meeting the right person, having kids at the right time, having great relationships with everyone.
We want things to go a certain way, and when they don’t, it feels unfortunate.
The main problem here is our brain is bad at viewing multiple timelines and paths.
We get tunnel vision, and can only see things one path at a time - so anything that deviates from that is non-ideal and feels like the end of the world.
But let’s stop for a moment and think.
Is it really that bad if you have a lower paying job but you love three times as much?
Is it really that bad if you fumble the ball and have a few bad relationships before finding a good one?
Is it really that bad if you have kids later rather than earlier, or not at all?
Is it really that bad if you step on some people’s toes because they pushed you the wrong way?
You see, in life there are no solutions, only trade-offs.
The man with a “great career” in finance hates his life just as much as the starving artist - just in a different way.
And there are multiple ways life can work out - not just the one perfect path we envisioned.
So a great way I like to carry myself is by pretending that the path I’m on was always the right one.
That in the grand sum of things, it’ll all work out - we just might be in the “Rocky cutscene” currently.
Some might say you’re deluding yourself, but it works.
This frame of mind makes hard times easier and good times better.
And in many instances, it’s actually a more rational perspective on life.
Because the ideal path or life was an ideal one, not a realistic one.
Take creative work for example.
As a kid I was always creative minded, writing, reading, and drawing in my free time.
It came easily and I could immerse myself in it for hours on end.
But as I got older I closed that side off, as I thought creative careers wouldn’t pay and things like math and science were roads I had to go down.
Fast forward to where I am now, I’ve come full circle doing photography, making YouTube videos, and writing these blogs.
But I don’t feel remised for “time wasted” not doing creative stuff.
Because I was always on the right path.
That was a path I had to go down to get to where I am now.
Since I lived life, did hard things I wasn’t naturally good at, and became more well rounded, I have a more developed perspective on the world and my creativity is better.
Similarly, there are less holes, gaps, and weaknesses in my skillset because I trained and learned things that most creatives aren’t normally good at, which still help me today.
So although I could have had an extra 10 or so years of creative experience under my belt, I don’t view it that way.
I view it as a necessary part of the process to get myself to where I am now - I’m better because of it and it worked out.
You can view this in the context of relationships as well.
When you’re young, you want that early or first relationship to work.
Some do, but most fail because we don’t know who we are and what we want just yet.
And we’re not mature enough to navigate being with another human.
Fast forward to a working or healthy relationship years down the line, many will say they needed to undergo the painful early relationships to get to where they are now.
And that without those experiences, their current relationships couldn’t have existed or have been as healthy.
It’s the same deal.
Things that are painful can help us and actually add up in the future.
We just need to choose a healthier perspective:
This didn’t happen to us, it happened for us.
Whatever you think is holding you back, that’s the conclusion you need to come to.
It takes a little bit of faith and some hopeful optimism, but it’s a much better perspective than believing your life is a tragedy and everything will burn.
And then you can finally come to terms with your past, stop letting it hold you back, and move forward.
It’ll all work out, it’ll all add up, you are on the right path.
Knowing Yourself
One of the greatest advantages of being 29 is experience.
Unlike the naïve or reckless 20 year old, you’ve done and seen many different things.
You’ve observed how the world works and how it doesn’t.
And you understand yourself to a much deeper degree than a younger adult would.
You know who you are and who you aren’t.
You know what you like and what you don’t like.
You know who you want to be and who you don’t want to be.
With this knowledge, comes great power.
It’s no mystery why one of the central philosophies of Stoicism is to “know thyself”.
Because at 29 you can finally stop wasting time on things that don’t matter to you.
You can start putting more time into things that you actually enjoy or want to do.
You have a combination of youth and experience, which allows you to navigate opportunities like a seasoned veteran.
You still have your health and physicality to do things (it only gets harder from here).
And there’s still so much room for growth and change.
If you see and understand the potential, rather than mope and pity yourself, you can make the next 10, 20, and 30+ years of your life impeccable, even if your previous 30 felt unfulfilling.
Interestingly, it’s often stated that the older you get, the richer life becomes (because of this very concept).
Not because we have less time or that life simply gets better, but because we are actually starting to use life well, in the way that we want.
The renowned philosopher Confucius once said:
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
If you haven’t begun your second life yet, 29 is a great time to start.
Done Playing Games
One of the best parts of getting older is you can finally stop playing games.
And I’m not talking about video games here.
I’m talking about games with people and life.
You see, life is a series of games.
Within it, there are games we can play and games we don’t have to play.
For example, when you were in school, your life was dominated by social circles and studying.
To win those games meant either climbing the social ladder, finding a group you fit in with, or getting good grades.
In adult life, there’s another game being played.
Everyone’s in a rat race to make the most money, get the most status, find an S-tier partner, get a big house, etc.
This exists not only in the workforce, but the social circle level as well.
People may not outwardly say it, but everyone’s comparing themselves to the people around them, trying to do better in some way.
Keeping up with the Joneses never stops.
Society is exhausting and games are a big reason why.
But when you understand how this works, you can break the cycle.
It’s not actually hard - just stop playing stupid games.
Stop playing games that were predetermined for you and start playing the games you enjoy.
Stop judging yourself by other people’s standards and start living by your own.
Ask yourself, “What game am I playing and is this what I actually want?”
This may sound obvious but:
You don’t have to be the richest person on Wall Street if you don’t want to.
You don’t have to elevate your status with a high paying job like a doctor or lawyer if it means you’ll be unhappy for the next 40 years.
And you don’t have to play games that aren’t fun.
Many people will play these games and win, only to realize it was never what wanted in the first place.
One of my favorite lines from the angel investor Naval Ravikant is:
"The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life."
So even if you win society’s games, if it’s not what you wanted, you’re not smart, you’re dumb.
Because what’s the point in winning a game you don’t care about?
Attacking the world means figuring out what you want and going for it.
Not playing someone else’s stupid games and winning their stupid prizes.
It’s simple: stop doing things to please people you don’t even like.
This is actually easier to do at 29, because we have more control and freedom over our lives.
When you were a child, there wasn’t much more you could do other than show up and play the game.
Because if you didn’t play the game, you’d face social isolation from your peers or disdain from your teachers.
Plus your parents, guardians, and caretakers watched your every move.
But when you’re older, you don’t have to.
Because why would you care if someone’s doing better than you at something you don’t care about?
Besides, everyone’s so busy trying to win their game than worry about what you’re doing in the first place.
If they try to flex their money or status or whatever, you can simply nod your head and smile.
Because if that’s not what you want, then for you, it’s an empty trophy.
Solidify what you actually want, go for it, measure success based on your standards, and play your own game.
That’s how we attack the world when we’re 29 (or any age really).
It’s these 4 realizations that lead me to believe 29 is not the end of the world, but actually the beginning of our prime.
Knowing we’re always late means we can ruthlessly take action.
Why? Because there is no perfect timing and we’ve always been on the right path.
Similarly, now that we know ourselves better, we can stop playing games we don’t want to, and start living our lives unapologetically.
Living for ourselves, aiming for what we actually want, and no longer holding back means we can make the next 10 years richer than the last 29.
So remember: It’s not too late to attack the world. 29 is prime.
Thank you for reading.
If you have a friend who’s currently struggling, send them this - it might help.
If you want to learn more, check out some of the other articles I’ve written on life.
If you’re interested in photography, that’s what we mainly talk about here, so you can learn more in Photography Systems.
Best of luck, have a wonderful day.
